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THE BASICS
Score: Gannon 94, Glenville State 77
Records: Gannon (1-0), Glenville State (0-1)
Location: Erie, Pa.  | Hammermill Center
The Short Story: The No. 13 Gannon women’s basketball team opened the 2014-15 campaign with a 94-77 win over No. 19 Glenville State Saturday evening at the Hammermill Center. In a team-effort, six Lady Knights registered double-figures in scoring including all five starters. The Lady Knights captured a victory in their seventh-consecutive season opener and sixth-straight home opener.
 
HOW IT HAPPENED
– The only time the game was tied or witnessed Glenville State’s first and only lead was in the opening 1:39. After tying the game at 3-3, the Pioneers and Lady Knights exchanged baskets with the visitors in the lead 8-7. A layup by senior Nettie Blake (Jersey City, N.J./Marist) at 17:51 handed the Lady Knights their second lead, which the team never relinquished throughout the remaining contest.
– Blake’s basket led the Lady Knights on a 11-2 run to take an 18-10 advantage including a three by seniorBrittany Batts (Leesburg, Va./Loudoun County) at 16:37.
– The Pioneers answered back on a 7-0 run to pull within one of the Lady Knights, 18-17, with 13:06 remaining in the first half.
– A steal by redshirt-sophomore Lanise Saunders (Pittsburgh, Pa./Taylor Allerdice) followed by a jumper from junior Jennie Thies (Lakewood, N.Y./Southwestern) brought the Pioneers’ run to a halt.
– The closest the Pioneers would come within the Lady Knights was three points, 31-28, at 7:50 of the first half.
– On the next play, junior Amanda Berchtold (Erie, Pa./Mercyhurst Prep) dished a pass out to junior Marisa Guyton (Lockport, N.Y./Lockport), who buried a three to kick start an 8-2 run capped by a trey by freshmanMcKenna Shives (Struthers, Ohio/Struthers) for a 39-30 lead.
– Back-to-back buckets by Saunders provided the Lady Knights with their first double-digit lead, 43-32, with 3:44 left in the first half.
– The two squads went back-and-forth in the time remaining of the first half before the Lady Knights took a 56-45 lead into the break. The Lady Knights tallied 24 points on fast breaks compared to the Pioneers’ 11 points.
– Returning to the court for the second half, the Lady Knights held the Pioneers scoreless in the opening 3:44 while building their lead to 63-45.
– The Pioneers used a 5-0 run with 6:44 remaining in regulation to bring the Lady Knights’ lead down to 11 at 79-68. A three by Batts opened the door for an 8-0 Lady Knights’ run to take an 87-68 with 4:17 left.
– Following a successful visit to the foul line by Blake, Batts hit a jumper to give the Lady Knights a 20-point advantage to mark the team’s widest lead, 92-72, with just under three minutes left.
– For 37:51 of the game, the Lady Knights managed to hold the lead en route to a victory.
 
GAME NOTES
– Six Gannon players reached double figures in points including all five starters.
– Blake led the Lady Knights with 19 points and 15 rebounds to record her 19th career double-double.
– In her first career start, Thies registered her first career double-double setting career-highs in 11 points and 12 rebounds.
– Berchtold came just shy of a triple-double, setting career-bests in points (10) and rebounds (9), while tying a personal-high in assists (9).
– Batts added 13 points and junior Morgan Neighbors (Westerville, Ohio/Westerville South) chipped in 14 points. Saunders also contributed with 10 points, matching a career-best. Saunders led the team with two blocks, setting a personal-high.
–  The Lady Knights shot 37.6-percent (32-85) from the field, while the Pioneers finished at 34.4-percent (31-90).
– The Lady Knights’ 56 first-half points marked the most points in a half since last season when GU scored 53 points twice. The last time a GU team scored more than 56 points came in the season opener against Penn State-Greater Allegheny Nov. 14, 2011. The Lady Knights tallied 59 points in the first half to capture a 113-31 victory at the Hammermill Center.
 
BEYOND THE BOX SCORE
– Gannon knotted the all-time series with Glenville State at 2-2. The Lady Knights have averaged 92 points against the Pioneers the last two games of the series. The three previous meetings were decided by six points before this evening’s 17-point GU margin of victory.
– Both squads entered the game ranked among the USA Today Sports NCAA Division II Top 25 Preseason Poll. The Lady Knights are ranked 13th, while the Pioneers occupy 19th.
– Last season, the Pioneers captured both the regular season and tournament championship before hosting the NCAA Atlantic Regional as the top seed.
– Exactly nine months to the day, the Lady Knights returned to action after appearing in the NCAA Atlantic Regional March 2014.
 
UP NEXT
Gannon remains at home when the team opens Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) action against Slippery Rock Nov. 19. The tipoff is set for 5:30 p.m., as part of a conference doubleheader with the men’s team.